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The new school year starts Aug. 25 with more attention on safety, especially when it comes to firearms this year. A new vestibule will improve entryway capacity at the high school and guns will be permitted on school grounds for adults with a concealed carry permit.
The latter is what worries parents like Jo Newman, mother of two in the Teton County School District.
“I will probably cry dropping my kids off on the first day of school and not for the normal reasons of watching your kids grow up but because of the fear that’s inherently part of living in public spaces in 2025,” Newman said.
House Bill 172 went into effect on July 1. It prohibits schools from banning visitors from bringing guns into schools. It leaves room for districts to adopt strict training requirements for staff and volunteers who want to conceal carry firearms. Teton County school district trustees did so earlier this summer.
Wyoming joins other states in allowing concealed carry at schools without district permission, including Alabama, Oregon, Utah and New Hampshire according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Republican lawmakers have said the new law protects liberty and self-defense.
Newman believes the law violates local control and property rights, so she’s organizing a campaign to overturn the law with parents in Casper. Her goal is to find a school board plaintiff and the funds to challenge the legality of the new law in court.
While the Teton County School District has fallen in line with the new law, it is placing signs outside its buildings requesting that visitors opt to leave firearms off campus.
A spokesperson for the district, Charlotte Reynolds, acknowledged parents’ fears, shared by the Board of Trustees, but noted there is little flexibility in the law.
“We have to adhere to the law regardless of anyone’s personal opinions. We don’t have a choice in that matter. We would face fines, penalties, et cetera,” Reynolds said.
The new vestibule at the high school was in the works well before the law but could also help improve security, Reynolds added.
